Page 31 of Coveted

He was grinning like a fool when they reached the lift up to the roof, Suri’s eyes narrowing at him as Alana’s widened, a hesitant smile playing on her lips in return. She really did seem sweet and innocent, but he couldn’t wait to see how dirty she was beneath the prim exterior.

Afterhe’d dealt with the Council and the food shortage, he reminded himself. He had to behave and remain focused until his people’s needs were taken care of and the Chancellor’s stopped breathing down his neck.

The ride in the lift was short, and soon they stepped out into a bright hallway made of glass. Earth’s bright sun shone through the tinted glass, warming the space, and he found himself wondering if Libeqor was more similar to Earth, or Farcon 1.

His planet was closer to their sun than Earth was, but their star wasn’t as large. It left them with a climate like Earth’s tropical zone, while Farcon 2, the other habitable planet in their system, had a colder climate that made it a poor choice for colonization unless there was a desperate need.

“Okay, this is where I leave you. You’re cleared for takeoff once you’re aboard.”

Suri stopped at the double doors leading out to the rooftop, turning back to smile at them. Mostly at Alana, but she tried to include Vax.

“I hope everything works out and you enjoy many years of happiness, but if there’s any issues, please don’t hesitate to reach out.”

She pulled Alana into another hug before releasing her and stepping back, typing a code onto the pad to make the doors open. When Alana reached down to grab the bags waiting beside the door Vax blocked her, taking the handles in one fist as he held out his other hand to her.

She stared at his open palm before raising her eyes to his. Her throat worked, nostrils flaring as she carefully placed her fingers in his grip.

His purr filled the space around them, Alana’s pupils exploding and leaving only a sliver of green ringing them as her entire body swayed toward him. The brush of her breasts alonghis arm stole his breath, his purr stuttering to a stop, and Alana straightened herself.

He cleared his throat, fighting back the urge to growl when she leaned away from him, only holding his composure because she didn’t try to remove her hand from his.

“Ready?” he asked, taking a step through the door.

He felt her tremble and the smile on her lips quivered, but she nodded, darting one last look at Suri.

Chapter Seventeen

Alana

Nerves had flared to life when Suri led them to the lift, and they only grew stronger when she said it was time to go.

Then Vax purred.

The feel of his rough fingers gripping her hand had sent a pulse of desire through her core, but his purr made the world disappear. There was only him, and she wanted to be as close to that sound as possible.

And then it stopped.

Clarity returned in a rush and she leaned away from the massive alpha, though she was careful not to tug on their joined hands. No male had ever touched her besides when they danced, and she enjoyed the way the warmth of Vax’s palm seeped into her fingers.

His question of if she was ready caught her off-guard, and she wondered what he would do if she said no. It was tempting to find out if he held onto his composure if she denied him, but she had no reason to. She wanted to move on with the rest of her life, and hopefully this was the next step toward it.

They walked out into the breeze, the morning sun hidden behind the sleek hopper in front of them. Looking around foranother ship, it took a few steps for her to realize the one before them was the one Vax was leading her to.

It was smaller even than her father’s, and she felt her lips pull down as she frowned at it. She’d looked into Farcon 1 once she’d learned that was where she’d be living, and she knew the planet had the resources to afford the best of everything, so it was surprising that the Chancellor didn’t have a larger model.

Shrugging the confusion away, she looked back one last time, raising her hand in farewell to Suri before stepping into the ship. It felt familiar, its design similar enough to her father’s that she figured she could find her way around with ease, but beneath the lingering cocoa and cinnamon scent of Vax was traces of another alpha.

Alana looked to him to see if he noticed, but if he did, he didn’t show any signs. It wasn’t likely that he wouldn’t pick up on the same scents she did, so it had to be someone he knew, and she wondered why there would be another alpha on the ship.

She couldn’t hide her shiver as a strange sense of worry struck her. It wasn’t logical, but the animal part of her brain was on high alert. She was already in the presence of an alpha male who was still practically a stranger, and now there were signs of another.

Eyes as black as space turned back to her, one brow cocked in question, though Vax didn’t voice any. Forcing a smile to her lips, she tried to get a grip on her instincts as he stopped at the end of the short hall.

The soft whoosh of a door opening drew her attention to the right. The ship she’d arrived on Earth in had another hallway where the door was that led to the two extra bedrooms and the suite in the back, but as she followed the pull on her hand through the opening, she realized this model didn’t have that. The suite filled the end of the ship, and suddenly there was no more air.

Vax released her hand and lifted her bags onto the end of the large bed taking up the right side of the room before turning to face her. Alana stood rooted to the spot where he’d left her, just inside the door.

There was a sturdy metal desk directly in front of her, with a small couch beneath a window to her left. There was a tall cabinet across from the bed on the wall beside her that likely held the VidScreen as well as Vax’s clothing, and there was a door just past the end of the bed that stood open, revealing a mirror above a small sink.

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